The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) have advised the Federal Government to give active attention and restore life back to the book industry in the country.
NPA also urged to, as a matter of importance, involve book publishers actively in the proposed change of the national school curriculum.
The President of the association, Uchenna Cyril Anioke, made the appeal on Thursday in Lagos at this year’s annual conference and general meeting of the group.
The event with participants from across the country in attendance with the theme, ‘Publishing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Exploring the future of content delivery and Copyright’.
Anioke lamented that the book publishing subsector is really facing challenges that are multi-dimensional, spanning several years, emphasising the need for the government to take immediate action and intervene to save the industry from further degeneration.
He noted that NPA as a body had in the past made similar appeals to the government on several occasions especially to revitalise the long abandoned moribund paper mills without positive results, praying that the government will this time around, take positive steps and change the narrative.
According to him, as an association, we believe that without functional and sustainable paper mills in the country, an enabling environment and a friendly fiscal and policy framework for private sector investment in the industry, publishers and printers will continue to look elsewhere abroad in search of cost-effective publishing and printing deals instead of looking inward.
“By that, we will continue to mount pressure on foreign exchange, create employment for other countries and also develop their economies at our country’s expense,” he stressed.
Before now, the three major paper mills in the country which are in Jebba, Niger State; Iwopin, Ogun State and Oku-Iboku, in Akwa Ibom State are today moribund and no longer there to provide the needed raw materials for the industry.
“So, we must change this narrative and ensure life is brought back into these moribund paper mills and also make the private sector participation feasible across the six geo-political zones of the country,” he added.
In his remark at the event, Director-General, Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC), Dr John Asein, stressed the importance of copyright laws in the book industry, saying it will continue to offer protection for authors.
While speaking on the theme of the event, he said even though now that Artificial Intelligence is being deployed to book publishing just like other industries, the rights of the authors as enshrined in the Copyright Act and other related laws are still guaranteed.
According to him, much as AI can create another AI does not qualify for copyright protection because for you as publishers or authors to enjoy copyright, you must have other qualifications as humans.
He said there is no doubt that the use of AI would soon become as cheap and accessible as people are now using smartphones, but when such time eventually comes would help to redefine the boundaries of copyright and publishers’ work on the issue of content delivery.
He declared that “One of the ways I believe publishers will be able to use AI effectively is to make their books interfacing with the people that will use them since they are the target market.”
Also speaking, the chairman of the event and former president of ICAN, Rasak Jaiyeola, highlighted the importance of AI creation in the book industry, saying AI is really reshaping every sector and human activity with no country in exemption.
He said that is why book publishers and authors would need to be more creative and innovative about their content and delivery.
He stated further that with AI or not, publishers must redefine the way they create, distribute and protect their intellectual properties.
“So, as publishers, we are more than facilitators of content distribution, we are guidance of creativity, culture and intellectual expression, so, it is our responsibility to embrace the advancement brought by AI at the same time regarding the principles that define our industry.
“This conference provides us with an invaluable platform to exchange ideas, explore innovation and address pressing questions of our time and do justice to them.”
The high point of the event is the award presentation including honorary to some members of the association for their strong contributions to the development of the industry and the Nigerian economy.
They included Mr Adebayo Lateef of Thursmay Publishers; Tahir Abdulaziz(Global Books & Publishing Ltd.); Henry Idogun( Metropolitan Publishers,); Sir Jesse Odu(Alliance Publications);, Dare Oluwatuyi(CSS Bookshops Ltd); Lanre Anulopo(Bounty Press Ltd); Dr Samuel Okere( Babcock University Press).
Others are Dr. Mathias Sunday( University of Calabar Press); Femi Adenakan( AFEM Publishers Ltd); N. O. Okereke; Gbadega Adedapo(Accessible Publishers Ltd); John Asein(NCC); Dr. Hamid Bobboyi(UBEC); Dr. Kolade Mosuro(The Booksellers Ltd) and Olakunle Sogbein of Quantum Educational Resources.
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